The Washington Redskins are one of the oldest teams in the NFL, founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves. they relocated to Washington D.C. in 1937, soon after the changing their name the “Redskins” in 1933.
There’s been a moderate amount of debate surrounding this topic, and I’m siding with the people that want a new name.
For many Native Americans, the term “redskin” is derogatory and racially demeaning. It is labelled as a slur and a negative term in most, if not all, English dictionaries. So why doesn’t the team change it?
In 2017, the Supreme Court made the decision that the government cannot disallow organizations to use potentially offensive names. The justices cited the First Amendment, saying that the First Amendment protects potentially disparaging speech.
The case primarily focused on the legality of a band named “The Slants,” a four person rock group that including all Asian members. “The Slants” argued they were trying to rebrand the term into something to be proud of through their “open-minded, high-energy fun the band promoted with their music.”
However, the main difference I see between theses two case is that “The Slants” are all Asian, using a term that could be offensive to their own race. The majority of the Redskins’ front office is white, and their team name is clearly offensive to multiple Native Americans
https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/09/05/protest-planned-against-redskins-season-opener-arizona
Just because Americans have the option to use offensive speech doesn’t mean that they should use it. With all the other football team names the Washington organization could potentially come up with, it seems ignorant to not change it by now.
Although it is legal, it’s not ethical. The Washington Redskins need to change their name. Any suggestions?
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Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/us/politics/supreme-court-trademarks-redskins.html?_r=0
Sorry Samuel, I respectfully disagree. If every sports team, from the professional level down to Junior High School had to select a name and mascot that met with universal approval, we would have to use numbers or letters of the alphabet. I believe very few native Americans are offended by this. Would you also rename the Braves, the Padres, and the Reds?
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I understand that, but what separates the Redskins from those others that you mentioned is that the term Redskins is a slur. Braves implies bravery, a positive trait, Padres is not derogatory, and Reds is just short for Red Stockings. However, I can see your reasoning and I think that it’s a valid point.
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